Little living things in my aquarium?

Question

I just took a closer look at one of my aquariums.... and I noticed that there are lots of tiny little worm like things moving around in there. They are too small to take a picture of them.
It's a 5 gallon with a divider that houses 2 male Bettas and one snail. I have real plants in there and real rocks....
My question is, Is it normal to have those little boggers moving around in there?
If it's not normal, what can I do to get rid of them?
Thanks...

I'm a hundred percent sure that the fish are two males... and I don't think they are snail babies either...

Answer 1

They could be one of three things.

If they move over the gravel and glass like a snail, they would be planaria: http://www.caudata.org/cc/images/articles/critters/planaria1JOHNSON.jpg

If they're very small, (less than 1/4 inch) they might be a type of nematode (worm).

If they're a little larger, they are probably the larvae of a midge (small fly like a mosquito).

Nematodes are fairly normal in an anquarium. The fly larva a little less so, but they won't harm your fish. The red variety of these is what's sold as bloodworms for fish food, so your fish will probably eat them. Any not eaten will become flying adults and eventually leave the tank.

Planaria are a little more of a nuisance. They may have come in on plants or in the water if you recently added fish. The fish will be less likely to eat these, since they move more slowly and spend a good deal of theur time in the gravel. Some also produce a chemical that makes them less tasty. They can only live in the tank if there's a continuous supply of food, so if you siphon your gravel a little more frequently, they'll eventually die out from lack of something to eat.

Answer 2

It does happen. Sometimes it is really difficult to get rid of them. You can try to buy some chemical that get rid of parasites, but it is not guaranteed.
However the worms are not harmful to the fish and in many cases they eat them (the fish eats the worm).
Other thing is try to clean the tank more often and feed the fish less, the worms feed from the waste on the bottom of the tank, so it means the fish are not eating all the food you give them.
Good luck!

Answer 3

I have had the same problem before. THEY ARE NOT BABIES and they WILL KILL your fish. You need to go to the pet store ASAP. My fish died from them because I thought they were babies....If I were you I would get the snail, fish, rocks, and plants out and clean the tank out from scratch with hot/warm water. Once the tank is fully cleaned feed your fish Anti-Parasite Medicated Fish Food. Don't wait to change out the water. I am serious, the worm like things MUST be removed. I don't know if you can save the plants and the rocks. I think they should be okay though. -Nicci

Answer 4

Mosquitoes laid eggs in there. That's what happened to the fountain in my front yard. They're black and about 1/2 cm to 1 1/2 cm long. I advise cleaning your fish tank soon or you will have a house full of them

Answer 5

I remember when I discovered these in my aquarium - YUCK! I turned on the light one night & saw HUNDREDS of them, squirming around...

They are parasites & they form naturally.

Changing the water more frequently will help. There's probably some chemical you can add too.

Answer 6

No your not supposed to have small worms, or parasites in your tank. Call the pet store and as them for a remedy! before they bore into your fish and kill them!

Answer 7

Maybe mosquito larvae.

Answer 8

Actually, you may have babies from something. They probably won't be there long. Something will eat them.

Answer 9

Maybe you have one female & one male betta.
Maybe they are babies.

Answer 10

fungus, larvae, poo, many possible things. Probably fungus